Senate gives initial approval to voter ID law changes

[TexasTowelie]

AUSTIN — The Texas Senate gave initial approval to a bill that would enact court-ordered changes to the state's voter ID law.

The 2011 law requires Texans to show one of seven approved forms of identification to vote. Its proponents say it is meant to protect against voter fraud, but a federal appeals court ruled in 2015 that it discriminated against Latinos and other minorities. Appeals judges sent the matter back to a lower court to find ways to address its discriminatory effects.

Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, said Senate Bill 5 used the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling as a roadmap for changing the voter ID law. She said the proposal approved Monday was fair and balanced. The vote was 21-10, along party lines, with amendments offered by Democrats struck down. The bill still needs final approval from the Senate, which will probably happen Tuesday.

"Voting is one of our most sacred rights, and we are striving to keep the integrity of the vote as strong as we can in Texas and still be as cognizant as we can of the rights of citizens," she said. "I think we've found that balance."

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2017/03/27/senate-gives-initial-approval-voter-law-changes

[Panich52]

1. Hypocrites

Texas has lowest voter registration in nation—by design. ID laws further compound eligible voters. Reason: larger turnouts tend to favor Dems. Add large Latino population, increasingly alienated by Repubs, and last thing TX wants is to make voting at all easy.